Because the European Commission no longer classifies Switzerland as an associated country to Horizon 2020, Swiss science funding applications in 2014 will not receive equal consideration to those of EU states. Switzerland will not qualify for European Research Council funds, and its participation in research consortia will not contribute to meeting Horizon 2020 eligibility criteria. The change is due to the Swiss referendum imposing quotas on immigration from EU states. From 2007 to 2013, Switzerland received over €1 billion ($1,374 million) from the EU for R&D programs and, as an associated country, was to contribute €3.6 billion to Horizon 2020. Funding in place, including from Framework Programme 7 (FP7), will not be affected, but future collaborations with other countries may be at risk. FP7 will continue funding the €1 billion Human Brain Project at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne through spring 2016.

Source: Science Business